The current production yield of the troubled lens assembly is only 20 percent to 30 percent, which can lead to setbacks in overall production.
Reuters

With less than a month to go for the release of the Samsung (KRX:005935) Galaxy S5 on April 11, a new report from the Korean media said on Monday that the company is facing problems with the production of the handset’s 16-megapixel ISOCELL camera.

According to a report from Korea’s ET News, the lens optics on top of the camera’s sensor is hampering the yield of the device’s camera. The report said that the Galaxy S5 uses a new six-element lens, which needs to fit into the same camera module that was used before, and modelling these complex optics has turned out to be an issue for the manufacturer.

“On a thin lens, even the slightest flaw results in a considerable optical distortion,” ET News quoted an industry insider as saying. “To make plastic lens thinner, a more accurate mold technology is necessary.”

The report said that Samsung had originally planned to commence the 16-megapixel camera-module production last month. However, the schedule continues to be delayed as the lens production yield stays low.

According to the report, the current production yield of the troubled lens assembly is only 20 percent to 30 percent, which can lead to setbacks in the overall Galaxy S5 production.

Samsung announced during the unveiling of the Galaxy S5 that its new flagship smartphone would be released on April 11 in more than 150 countries worldwide. However, if camera troubles continue, some regions might have to wait more than others to get their hands on the device, Phone Arena reported.

This is not the first time that the availability of the Galaxy S5 has been questioned. Earlier this month, a huge fire at a factory manufacturing printed circuit boards, or PCBs, for the Galaxy S5 raised concerns about the device's availability on time.